


An early morning work out.

by 1frigga



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Demon, Hell, M/M, Marvel Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25836829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1frigga/pseuds/1frigga
Summary: King T'Challa was looking forward to enjoying a nice, silent morning. until Stephen Strange shows up, needing his help.
Relationships: Stephen Strange/T'Challa
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	An early morning work out.

Wakanda, A place of ‘magic’ some may say, but, King T’Challa, the man who ran the country, could tell you it wasn’t magic at all, it was just advanced science. Something some people wouldn’t be able to understand.   
Since so many countries were so far behind Wakanda, T’Challa had been dealing with requests for better tech or blueprints from other countries. It’d been hard since he decided to pull Wakanda out of the dark and let other people in the world know how amazing the country really was. Mostly the King’s days had been full of meetings, death threats, and everything in between. Leaving little time for love.friends. Or anything remotely social. If he was being honest the King missed being about to travel and portray the legendary ‘Black Panther’. But, no threat big enough had come up for him to justify leaving the country and, in-country his police force was able to handle everything that came up in the cities.   
The necklace hanging around his neck served as a forever reminder of how dull his life, even as royalty, had become. 

With a yawn, the King sat up and swung his legs over his queen-sized bed (Ironic, he knew). And looked around the still pitch black room. Going by the clock posted on the wall it was a little after four am. That would explain how dark it was, (Something T’Challa didn’t mind, being as night vision was one of the benefits being the Black Panther), Maybe he could get in some paperwork or a walk around the city before the day started. 

T’Challa had really needed some alone time and just some time away from the palace in general. Sure the king was able to return to his quarters at any time, but those hours were filled with paperwork, meeting planning, and sleeping. 

The King quickly threw on a traditional Wakandan overthrow and headed out of his room, and into one of the many hallways that formed the Royal palace. T’Challa had the layout memorized, he knew this place better than the back of his hand. More so than some of the palace staff that served under his father, King T’Chaka, years before him.   
Meaning the current king knew how to get out of the palace without being seen, and back in on the same note. 

So the panther made his way down the halls. It took him about ten minutes to pop out behind the palace, behind one of the old Kitchen staff doors (that wasn’t in use anymore, since the palace required more cooks then this small hall could handle). 

The King took a deep breath and smiled a bit to himself. Looking up at the full moon above him and his country. Some believed the full moon represented all of their ancestors watching over them, while the new moon was, as to say the ancestors break, from the living world. So, T’Challa smiled a bit, picturing his father watching him from above, wanting to either congratulate him or slap his head for how he ended up running the country. 

T’Challa figured his father, T’Chaka, would do a mix of both. T’Challa had ended up doing a lot other kings had never before tried to do. Some things he wouldn’t approve of, like opening Wakanda up to trade, other things he would tear up with pride, Like him taking part in the battle for the universe. 

The Panther kicked a small stone, watching it skitter and pop against the ground. He never really got this much time to himself, He thought about it, being out here before the sun meant if he decided he could have a few hours to himself, meaning 

He was going to do   
Nothing 

T’Challa blinked, spinning around on his heels and gripping his necklace, meaning that his Black Panther suit was covering his body within seconds.   
He had heard something that didn’t belong in a forest, even one that was this small. 

“I give this place an eight over ten. The raw just, life here is enough to make anyone want to come here often.”   
Out of a golden orange-colored portal walked the ex-surgeon, now a famous Sorcerer, T’Challa had heard about him on one of his trips to America. Doctor Strange, the world’s new sorcerer supreme. A master in the ‘dark arts’. 

T’Challa always wondered if there were light arts too. 

But, he never voiced any of his thoughts, He only sighed, and pulled off his mask, sending a rather confused glare at the levitating man.   
“Now, You have entered Wakanda under suspicious circumstances and I, as the King, demand to know why you have come here, but, I do welcome you to my lovely country.” Out of respect, T’Challa dipped into a bow, before crossing his arms and returning his gaze to the fellow hero.

“Well for one, Thank you. Like I said, As of right now, the place gets a solid eight. Uh, I don’t think I’ve really ever had the true pleasure of introducing myself to you. Sure, we’ve almost died in the same battles and talked for a moment or so but, Doctor Stephen Strange. And I come needing your help.”   
The Doctor crossed his arms in return, but, his cloak? Didn’t seem to like his gesture, because it slapped his cheek, and the Doctor’s arms dropped to his sides.

That got the King to smile a bit. 

But, it didn’t last for long. The look soon turned into more so confusion, as he tilted his head at the Sorcerer.   
“Uh, King T’Challa. Protector of Wakanda, and acting Black Panther. From what I know about you Doctor Strange, you prefer working with people more attuned to your skills. Unless you are here to be declined with something having to do with my Vibranium, I do not understand why you have shown up here.” The King took a few steps to the closest tree, placing his left foot against the bark, and leaned up against the tree.   
Of course, If his country didn’t need him, someone else needed him. 

This was just how things went on now. 

“Well usually I would try someone else, but, No one else is really available, and even if you can’t do anything related to the mystical arts, how your suit is built would be a very useful skill where I’m going”

“And where would that just happen to be, Doctor?” 

“Hell” 

T’Challa blinked, the air seemed to still around the two. After a moment of thinking, T’Challa took a step closer to the Doctor, looking up at him with his arms crossed. “Mind telling me a bit more? When I woke up this morning, I did not want to die.” 

The Doctor smiled a bit, Something T’Challa found a bit attractive, Why was he thinking that? This was the first time he had ever really gotten to stay for long around the doctor, and he was here on business, nothing… Romantic  
Still… that smile made The King’s heart skip a beat. 

“Well, not really what most people say hell is, More like a subdivision. Much more survivable. One of the threats on my list is hiding out down there, with how your suit stores kinetic energy, I figured we could easily trap him in the mirror dimension, then maybe grab a coffee. Since it is what? Four, Five am here? We shouldn’t get hurt, it’s only marked as a medium threat.”

Was the king going to agree with this? With his country still needing him present almost every day? 

He was a man of honor, and could not refuse an offer to… get a workout.   
“Fine, but, We cannot take all too long, Besides being a hero I must deal with and run my country as well.”  
T’Challa assured himself he wasn’t saying yes for the potential coffee with the doctor, He said yes to get a workout, and make sure the panther spirit that ran through his veins still was working properly.

Yes,   
Not about the coffee at all. 

T’challa shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts, and returned his focus back to the doctor. Who, was seemingly having a small conversation with his cloak.   
The Cloak did not seem pleased about something. 

“Well perfect. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours. And I understand things here don’t start until almost noon? On a good day. Ten am on others. I won’t make you late, Time used to matter to me, so I understand the importance.” 

T’Challa rolled his eyes, sliding his mask (Alright, It was more so a helmet, ‘mask’ just sounded cooler). 

“Well, time is ticking, Doctor.” 

The Doctor rolled his eyes and started making a circle motion with his arms, soon enough another golden orange portal opened up, and the Doctor motioned for T’Challa to go on through. 

With a lot of hesitation, T’Challa walked over and looked into the portal, all he saw was what looked like a desert, But, it was entirely red.   
Of course, The Magical Doctor would be the one to make him go places that shouldn’t really be allowed.   
Of course.   
Well,   
No going back now. 

So, The Panther stepped through the portal, letting his mask and eyes adjust to the new amount of light (Having night vision did have its downsides). 

“So, we are here to imprison a threat before it becomes a real threat. I see the logic and understand it, but, how do you know they are going to start problems?” 

T’Challa could hear the portal shut behind him, and the doctor sigh. 

“That question doesn’t really apply to this type of demon, They were only created to start trouble, I’m a bit shocked he hasn’t done anything big yet. So, I figured it was time to restrain him, Not like I just go about starting fights. This is more of a preventing future disaster type deal.” 

T’Challa crossed his arms. He was a man with a high social standing, and one of the smartest people in the world, Plus, if you included his hero work, he was among the top ten best heroes in the Galaxy. And here this doctor was, taking down to him in a sense. 

“Alright, then let us get this over with. I have a personal appointment soon and I would like to enjoy that coffee.” 

The King looked over his shoulder, tilting his head at the doctor, before motioning in front of him. This was Strange’s world, not his. The Panther had no idea how to demon hunt, and didn’t want to look even more like a clueless child in front of the semi-hot doctor. 

Stephen nodded, adjusting his’ robes sleeve before taking the lead. Still, he wasn’t walking, more so being god with the help of his cloak. T’Challa didn’t know why, but, He felt uneasy around it. Like the fabric was actually judging him. 

The doctor motioned for T’Challa to follow, so with a small sigh The King fell into step behind the doctor. It was hot in hell, (Go figure), and the temperature inside his suit was steadily rising. T’Challa had installed a cooling device. That showed how hot it actually was down here. But, it seemed like the doctor wasn’t affected by the heat at all. Maybe because the doctor himself was on the hotter side..   
T’Challa huffed, He really needed to focus on the mission at hand, there would be time for more personal thoughts after. 

The two walked and glided in silence for ten or so minutes, before the Doctor stuck out his arm, and held his finger to his mouth, giving T’Challa the ‘hush’ symbol. The king nodded, flexing his hands so the vibranium claws that were his suits primary weapon extended. He could tell by the doctor’s pose they must be close to their target, The cave they were approaching seemed like the likely hideout. 

T’Challa watched as the Sorcerer summoned some glowing orange shields, big enough to cover each hand. He smiled down at them, seemingly proud of his work. The small smile made the panthers heart melt. It was a small thing, but, it was indeed adorable, something you wouldn’t expect to see from such a stone faced man. 

“Alright your royalness, Draw him out.”   
The doctor looked over his shoulder, nodding at the cave in front of him. 

T’Challa took a step back, looking between the cave and the floating doctor. So that’s why he was the ideal hero for the job. He was fast. A perfect distraction to let Stephen get the drop on the demon. It was a smart idea, but, that didn’t mean T’Challa had to like the idea. 

“You better add in a few breakfast to that coffee, Doctor.” 

T’Challa took a small breath, pressing a small button on his helmet before crouching, and taking off towards the cave. He knew his suit would protect him from most first attacks, but he never had the chance to test it out with any mythical creatures, So he prayed to the gods it would hold up long enough for Stephen to get the drop on this guy. As he approached the cave, he could see that there was something huge inside, About the height of a school bus.  
T’Challa took in another breath, This was his job, This was party his fight. 

The king stopped as he entered the lip of the cave, he pulled off his helmet, running is sleeve across his forehead before tucking the helmet under his arm, and cupping his hands around his mouth.   
“Anyone home? This is your local Priest, wondering if you had the time to talk about our lord and Savior?” 

There was a low growl from within the cave, followed by a small huff. T’Challa gulped, taking a second to regain himself.   
“I bought a few copies of the bible! I was hoping I could show you a few passages, and try to convince you to come to Church Sunday’s, this week we are hosting a potluck.” 

This time there was a louder growl from within the cave, the ground beneath the king started to shake. T’Challa took that as the cue to slide his helmet back on. Within a few seconds T’Challa heard the small ‘click’ of it snapping back into place, and the eye sensors came on, just in time for T’Challa to get an actual view of the demon, instead of the faint outline he saw prior.   
The demon was almost a textbook demon, His skin color was a deep red, his horns was a shade darker then his skin, His hair was long and curly. The only thing T’Challa didn’t expect to see was the demon in a few three piece suit, and he seemed to take pretty decent care of himself. 

The Black Panther didn’t have much time to observe, because it was clear the demon was angry, so, the hero spun around, waiting till he knew the demon was going to chase him, before taking off back the way he came.  
“Does this mean you already accept Jesus as your lord and savior?” 

The king smiled a bit under his mask, yelling back at the demon. The king was fast, but the demon had a longer leg span, meaning he was easily able to catch up to the king. 

With a small hiss the Panther was thrown off his feet, flying through the air into a rock wall. His suit absorbed as much of the kinetic energy as it could, but it couldn’t protect T’Challa from the blow against the wall. His head met with the wall, and T’Challa fell to the earth.

T’Challa blinked, seeing spots in his vision, the demon was snickering, watching the panther very closely. He shook his head, trying to regain his bearings as he stood, having to use the wall to balance himself. Why did he agree to this? Gods, if T’Challa wasn’t such a nice and gay person, he’d be at home sipping on a smoothie.   
T’Challa let out a small breath, shaking his head as the demon was starting to approach him again, not violently like before, but how a curious child might approach a stray puppy. The demon didn’t see him as a threat anymore, he saw him as a toy. What joy.   
Where was Stephen? Shouldn’t this be the moment he does some grand entrance? Or was T’Challa supposed to stall for even longer. 

The doctor was paying for his medical bills, if anything major happened. 

The king quickly shook his head again, trying to fully regain his bearings, before he turned and took off again. Slower than the first time, but still with enough energy that the demon must have at least been a bit surprised. T’Challa heart a tiny ‘rawr’, as he could feel the ground shake a bit under him as the demon started his presuit now. 

“I can always just take your name down and come back later with more religious proof for you, perhaps a nice cross to hang in your living room?” 

T’Challa clicked his hands together, the Vibranium claws embedded into his suit extended again, he took a small breath and started to slow his pace. T’Challa knew he couldn’t outrun the demon, disorentating and hoping for a clear shot to either strike, or flee, was his best option. The ground shook more as the demon approached him.   
The Black Panther inhaled sharply and dropped to the ground, using himself to trip the demon, once he started his descent to the ground, T’Challa released the Kinetic energy he had managed to store. 

A purple tinted energy blast ended circled out around the two, The demon yelped. The blast managed to throw the demon a good 20 or so feet away from T’Challa. Lucky being the center of the large amount of energy T’Challa wasn’t harmed by it, or moved by the blast.   
T’Challa’s head throbbed. Going by the actual amount of energy released, T’Challa bet the demon had used enough force to give him a small concussion. Meaning he wouldn’t be able to concentrate during his normal meetings for the normal day. 

What a joy. 

As T’Challa pushed himself back on his feet, an orange sparkling hole opened up underneath the still recovering demon. Yet again it let out a small yelp as it fell into what the king could only guess to be the mirror dimension. A place he knew the sorcerer supreme kept minor to medium level threats. 

“Now I have to ask, why did I have to even attempt to fight with that thing if you were just going to trap it for later?”   
The king sounded hurt and irritated. Sure he was happy to help the doctor, he wasn’t happy to get hurt for nothing. 

The doctor slowly rose up from above the portal, making a quick circular motion with his hand, the portal closed under him, and he simply shrugged. 

“You weakened it. Makes it a hell of a lot easier to deal with. Plus, now you get to say you fought and won against a demon.”  
The doctor shrugged, smiling slightly at him. He sounded like this was just a totally normal thing to do. T’Challa figured, in Stephen’s world, this was just a normal thing to do. Like how running a country had become his normal. T’Challa wanted to complain, but knew he couldn’t. Besides, he had gotten the Doctor to smile at him, and that made up for some of the beating he took in his opinion. 

“Next time you invite me demon hunting, you either finish it off then and there, or you will owe me more than just coffee, Doctor”

“Fine, How about I just treat you to breakfast too? Besides i’d like to see if you have any major head injuries. I may or may not feel responsible for any damage you took.” 

T’Challa took a step back, Stephen Strange, actually caring about a few hero? Usually, the panther believed, he would just leave then and there, It was clear the king was fine. He had no major injuries, (Thanks to his suit), besides aches, pains, and maybe some bruises. But, the sorcerer actually seemed to care, even if it was just a bit, just the thought made T’Challa’s heart flutter. 

“Alright. Breakfast and coffee. I can accept that for any pain and suffering you perhaps caused by using me as bait.”   
T’Challa, who had learned over the years to keep emotion out of his voice, was finding it very hard to stop himself from sounding excited, or smiling. 

The doctor’s smile brightened a bit, and he quickly turned, using his sling ring to open another portal, this one leading actually into a small breakfast nook, (Which, he could only assume was in New York, the state the doctor lived in), he then turned, offering T’challa his hand.

The king couldn’t help but smile as he accepted his outstretched hand, his cheeks heating up ever so slightly as they both passed through the portal, and into the small restaurant. The king decided then and there, he would make this the longest breakfast of his life, and make future plans with the doctor.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaa! if you made it here that must mean you liked something, I hope? I know this isn't perfect- but T'Challa x Strange is honestly one of my favorite ships. I also know the story line isn't perfect either, but, I wanted something shortish to test of writing as T'Challa, if you'd like to see more, let me know!


End file.
